Our client is a worldwide leader in the semiconductor industry. It provides employee catering facilities at its premises in Dublin.

Under the Water Pollution Acts 1977 and 1990, it is necessary to have an effluent discharge licence to discharge effluent from the kitchen to sewer.

The site has an existing effluent discharge licence issued by South Dublin County Council (SDCC). However, the licensing limits were too low and not appropriate for the volume of effluent discharged from their facility.

AWN was appointed to prepare, process and lodge a revised discharge licence application and negotiate for licence limits which would accurately reflect the nature and volume of the effluent from the kitchens.

The application processes involved the following:

• Site walkover to inspect the kitchen facilities and grease trap
• An assessment of the appropriate sizing of the grease trap
• A review of effluent analysis results for samples collected to determine if the grease trap was working correctly and that the effluent quality was in compliance with SDCC requirements
• Preparation of the licence application

The licence application was submitted to SDCC in May 2008 and is currently being processed.

Our client has continued to monitor the quality of the effluent discharged from their premises. The effluent has been found to be consistently non-compliant with the limits of their existing licence for one of the parameters. AWN has provided advice and recommendations as to the possible reasons for the non-compliance. These recommendations are currently being implemented by our client and are proving to be successful thus far.